Jakob Lindhagen – Skörheten.

Jakob Linghagen from Stockholm, Sweden is one of the latest signings to the 1631 Recordings label and before he releases his 1631 Recordings debut proper they have re-issued his soundtrack “Skörheten” digitally and added 3 bonus tracks. If his name is familiar that is because his name graced this blog recently when he helped out on his girlfriend’s Vargkvint project.

Jakob, a multi instrumentalist, also records under the Other People moniker (previously known as “…”) and released the “Somewhere Far Away” CD and remix EP “Black Swans” on the Feeder Recordings labels. The project was split between the UK and Australia. He has also worked on other short films and other commissions.

“Skörheten” which translates to “Fragility” in English, is an award-winning Documentary film (Winner Newcomer of the year, Guldabaggegalan, Sweden, 2017 -Winner of Best Swedish Feature – The City of Gothenburg Award, Gothenburg Film Festival, 2017 as well as being nominated in other festivals). The film’s synopsis is “In the peak of her career documentary filmmaker Ahang Bashi falls down in a deep gorge of panic attacks and depression. With a skin deep precision, beautiful imagery and a black humor she carries the viewer into the swirling world of anxiety, sometimes dark and sometimes hopeful. With the camera as her tool she brings us back in time to the escape from Iran and the little girl who did not understand.”

“Intro” opens the album with slightly grainy humming vibrations with screeching droves cascading in an out, sounds that reach out like a pebble dropped in water, minimal piano and electronics. As the film is about anxiety/panic attacks/depression the building humming and drones can replicate the onset of panic attacks and the minimal piano can represent the alone feeling of depression. A nice start to the album.

“Ett Mörker” which translates to “A Darkness” continues with similar grainy humming beginning and longer drones paired alongside a delicate piano line. It could almost be a reprise of “Intro” if not for the more ominous grainy electronics that form the underbelly of the track and come to the fore at the end and brings “The Darkness” to the track.

“Mottagningen” which translates to “The Reception” is a layered mournful piano piece with double bass that keeps the mood the same being a bit down beat. This theme follows into the track “Varför mår jag dåligt?” which translates to “Why am I miserable?” which opens with accordion alongside piano and double bass and has, naturally, a jazz meets noir feel to it. In the last-minute of the track it totally changes with rippling ,echoing presumably synthesizer keys floating out.

“Läggas in?” translated to “Being Admitted?” is mournful solo piano that conveys despair in its rolling keys, use of silence and the way Lindhagen uses the lengths of the notes to accentuate this. There is a slight section where you think the mood of the piece will change, but it keeps on with despair.

“I Parken” translates to “In the Park” opens with backward loops of some sort of string drone, double bass, piano, synthesizer and electronics. The piano and synthesizer parts work well together with the synthesizer having an aquatic feel to it, like slightly echoing or shimmering. The loops form a nice background for the other elements to add onto and give the piece pace.

“Fotot” translates to “The Photo” and is a reprise of “Varför mår jag dåligt?”, but is shorter and focuses a little more on the piano element.

“T-Centralen” translated to “The Central Station” shares similar opening elements as “Intro” before electronic sounds scatter about like glass balls rolling around, grainy/glitch loops , drones, Sci Fi like synths all collide together in a pattern. Without seeing the movie the impression is of being in a central station at night, alone, isolated with impending anxiety crowding around someone. The track is a great slice of cinematic electronica which separates itself from the other tracks on the soundtrack. Naturally with it being a piece from the film the length is short to fit a scene, but it would be great to see this extended and fleshed out.

“Samtel med Roxy” translates to “Conversation with Roxy” has some sound of steps or like a metronome with a distant noise and solo piano which continues with a walking sort of sound that changes to sharper keys in the middle of the track to the end. Again, not having seem the film the change in the piano of the track makes me think that there is a change in the conversation in the film. Whether that is good or bad change in the conversation I am not sure.

“Jävla Ångest” or “Damn Anxiety” is a stripped back solo piano track, hammers and all that mines the same territory as “Läggas in?”, but is very brief.

“Skörheten” which translates to “Fragility” takes a variation of the synthesizer part from the second half of “I Parken” as it’s central part. A humming sound supports the synthesized progressions with reverberating pinging keys that expand out and build up ever so slightly in intensity with a distant and growing distortion replacing the humming that ends in decay. I imagine this to be the music to match the end titles of the film.

“Skevheten” which roughly translates to “The Skewedness” (and is a play on the word “Skörheten”) is a mere fragment of a track being only 33 seconds in length, but still gives the listener a visual impression to it’s aural key. For me it could be used in a scene where the character is looking at themselves in a mirror and examining all the parts of their face and the way they perceive themselves to look in the way that depression or anxiety can cloud over someone and affect the way they see themselves.

“Bra Liv” translates to “Good Life” and is the true essence of melancholic solo piano that appears to have some sort of echo effect at points where notes are slightly stretched out.

“I Parken 2” aka “In the Park 2” takes the original piece and changes it from piano to Synth parts with the drones instead of being backward appear forward and three-quarters into the track percussion of a dubstep or trip hop persuasion comes and gives it a “versioning” feel rather than a remix.

Overall this is an impressive album with miniatures that would be great if expanded. It shows of Lindhagen’s talent and flexibility and a composer to use different elements to the tracks so it’s not a case of “same same”. I look forward to what he brings us on his next release. Totally recommended.